Washington D.C., Niagara Falls & Philadelphia 3-Day Tour from NYC

Overview

Day by day itinerary

1. 1New York → Philadelphia → Washington D.C.⌄

   We set off from New York and drive south to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love, where the American story begins. New York → Philadelphia → Independence National Historical Park (30 min) → Washington D.C. → U.S. Capitol In-depth Tour + The National Archives (120 min) [inside: U.S. Capitol & National Archives; outside: Supreme Court & Library of Congress] → White House (outside visit, 30 min) → Lincoln Memorial + Vietnam Veterans Memorial (45 min) → Hotel

   Independence National Historical Park (30 min): Step into what’s often called “the most historic square mile in America.” Around Independence Square you’ll find historic buildings tied to the Revolution and the founding of the country, a milky-white clock tower, and bronze statues of the founding heroes set across the lawns.

   From there we continue to Washington, D.C., the political heart of the United States and home to the White House, Congress, and a wealth of museums and monuments.

   U.S. Capitol In-depth Tour + The National Archives (120 min): If you’d like, head inside the U.S. Capitol, the geometric center of Washington, to walk its ornate congressional corridors and hear the stories behind the murals and statues. At The National Archives, you can see the founding documents themselves: the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, alongside other landmark records. The tour also passes the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress from the outside.

   White House (outside visit, 30 min): Stop for photos at the White House, the neoclassical residence and office of every U.S. president since 1800 and a byword for the American government itself.

   Lincoln Memorial + Vietnam Veterans Memorial (45 min): Wrap up the day at two of the capital’s most moving landmarks. The Lincoln Memorial, a Greek temple-style monument to the 16th president, is where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Just to the north, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, a long V-shaped wall of black granite, is inscribed with the names of more than 57,000 service members who died in the war. Note: if the U.S. Capitol cannot be entered, it is replaced with the optional Washington D.C. In-depth Tour (Air Force Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and World War II Memorial).

   Overnight: SpringHill Suites Gaithersburg; Comfort Inn Shady Grove – Gaithersburg – Rockville; or similar.

2. 2Corning→Niagara Falls⌄

   On the drive north you can stop at the world-famous Corning Museum of Glass, the heart of the American glass industry. Some 100,000 pieces fill the galleries, from colorful artworks to crystal-clear sculptures, with live glassmaking demonstrations that turn a roadside break into something memorable. Day 2: Hotel → Corning Museum of Glass (optional, 90 min) → Watkins Glen State Park + Finger Lakes (optional, 90 min, seasonal) → Niagara Falls Night View Tour (90 min) [Ram Island & Moon Island; Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls & American Falls]

   Watkins Glen State Park + Finger Lakes (90 min, seasonal): When the park is open for the season, detour into Watkins Glen, the “Millennium Valley” in the Finger Lakes region. Its roughly two-mile gorge trail winds past more than a dozen waterfalls carved by glaciers and streams, with the fourteen long, narrow Finger Lakes set side by side like fingers nearby. Note: Watkins Glen + Finger Lakes is a seasonal summer stop, generally available May to October once the park officially opens. Please refer to the park’s official website for exact dates; when the park is closed, this stop is not available.

   Niagara Falls Night View Tour (90 min): By evening you reach Niagara for the night tour, “one park, two islands, three falls.” Heading deep into the park, you take in multi-angle views from Ram Island and Moon Island while Horseshoe Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and American Falls glow under shifting colored lights. When a fireworks show is scheduled that evening, we make sure you’re there to see it.

   Overnight: Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls NY – Riverside by IHG; Buffalo Marriott Niagara; Aloft Buffalo Airport; or similar

3. 3Niagara Falls →New York⌄

   Niagara Falls Classic Tour (2.5 hr): Add the Classic Tour to get up close to the falls. At Whirlpool Park you look down on a 125-foot-deep natural whirlpool, formed where the river makes a sharp turn and the rapids churn back on themselves. At the Cave of the Winds, an elevator drops you into the gorge and onto walkways at the foot of the falls, close enough to feel the spray. In summer the tour finishes with the Maid of the Mist, the storied boat sailing since 1846 that carries you right into the misty basin below the falls. In the cooler season, when the boat is closed, it swaps in Old Fort Niagara State Park, a historic fort at the mouth of the Niagara River with sweeping views over Lake Ontario. Note: the Maid of the Mist usually closes in winter and is not visited during that period; the winter itinerary visits Old Fort Niagara State Park instead.

   From there it’s the drive back to New York, wrapping up three days of history and natural spectacle.